The Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Board of Trustee, Senator Walid Jibrin, has spoken of several plots to assassinate him over the zoning of the party’s presidential ticket.
The PDP BoT Chairman while addressing journalist in Kaduna alleged that some aggrieved party members labeled him a traitor threatening to assasinate him in the process.
Jibrin further disclosed that the members of the party were aggrieved because he refused to say that the party’s presidential ticket would be zoned to the North-east when he addressed the media last week.
He revealed that some members even desired for former presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to be declared the party’s preferred candidate, ahead of 2023.
He said: “I have received calls from some people threatening my life over my coming out not to mention that the presidency of this country be zoned to the North-east.
“They were saying that I am a traitor that I should have come out to say that it is only Atiku Abubakar because I said that Atiku was already overthrown by the Supreme Court. They said for that I should say Atiku is the man that I want.
“I am a leader; I have to make a lot of consultations with the National Working Committee (NWC), our governors; then the NEC had to take a decision and they should not forget that the party has a constitution and a guideline, which says there must be primary for whoever wants to contest.
“We have not even discussed about zoning. “About three people went to Wadata Plaza (the party’s secretariat in Abuja) and demanded to see Munir Yerima.
”When they were there, Yerima rang me saying where am I and I said I was in Kaduna, then he said some people wanted to talk to me and I said let me talk to them on phone. He said they were intermediaries between me and some party people.
“They said I have gone astray and if I don’t recant, they would arrange bandits to deal with me wherever I go.
“So, I told the man to go and do whatever he wants to do that I am equal to the task. Then I realise it is only a demonstration but they may be planning to assassinate me.”
The PDP chieftain said he has taken necessary steps to petition the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu over the threat to his life.
“I have written to the Director-General of the DSS (Department of State Services) and the IG to ensure that the matter is seriously handled as people can’t stand on their own.
“I am an elder statesman, in the party and in Northern Nigeria. I am a Fulani man, who have tried to stop the threats of militant Fulani in my local government in my state.
“I am a very religious person, who cannot even kill a rat or even an ant, yet people are trying to harass me, to assassinate me. I want the police to give me protection and stop this harassment,” he said.
It could be recalled that Jubrin recently hinted that the party will soon commence high-level consultations and search for a credible candidate to fly the party’ s flag for the 2023 presidency. He however didn’t disclose which zone the preferred candidate would emerge from.
